It's been a while.
More like, about 4 years since I used this blog, The reason was mainly that I didn't have the time to review kits anymore, and the act of reviewing was actively burning me out on the hobby to the point I stopped building for a few years to focus on personal life.
Though, in 2022, I got back into building model kits and reignited my love for these little plastic guys. I didn't bother reviewing anymore like I used to, and focused on what got me into the hobby, to begin with: collecting. This year, I churned through my old backlog of 20+ kits, and due to recent Moderoid announcements, aimed to start collecting models from various mecha to represent different franchises.
This included my current goal of collecting main Gundams such as Strike or Ez8 in order to represent the many Gundam series I've watched at this point because I hadn't actually bought that many main Gundams before. Currently, I've found a new drive to build models that I've lacked for years, and also managed to build a lot more kits than I have in the past decade.
I have a SRW collection now!
Anyways, still I don't think I'll be going back to reviewing anytime soon, but I did want to talk about some of the kits I've built this year since it was so eventful to me as a collector, and there are some kits I really do want to share with others. This is not necessarily a list of the best kits in terms of quality or engineering, nor is it a list of kits that came out this year either. Rather, this is just a list of my favorite builds of kits that I built during the year 2022 that put a smile on my face, whether it be simply because the kit is good, or that it satisfied me in a way other kits didn't. It's very subjective, is my point. But still, all of these are great kits that I fully recommend you buy if you're interested. So without further ado, let me tell you about my favorite kits of 2022.
Honorable Mention - Moderoid Gaiking the Great
I honestly really wanted to put this kit on the list. Gaiking: Legend of Daiku Maryu was one of my favorite mecha I watched this year and this Moderoid did me such a big favor by making kits of ALL three Flame Giants that combined into the awesome Gaiking the Great. That being said, each giant is a fully priced Moderoid, yet each one lacks gimmicks or features, leading them to feel rather incomplete on their own. When combined into Gaiking the Great, it's satisfying and impressive, and this kit made me happy beyond worlds after I built it. However, with the incredibly steep price and the quality of the individual giants, it just about shied away from the list proper.
10. HGUC Zaku II Revive
This was a kit I built near the beginning of the year and it made me happy beyond words. Ever since I began collecting Gunpla, I had always wanted a modern HGUC Zaku II Revive. The old HGUC had weird proportions, in my opinion, the RG was finicky and overstyled, and the HGGTO was a redesign when I just wanted the classic anime styling. It might be a relatively average modern HGUC kit, but this kit finally fulfilled everything I had wanted from a Zaku kit and made me so happy as a collector just by existing. I genuinely hope this mold ends up being milked to hell and beyond with variants soon like the HGGTO.
9. RG Hi-Nu Gundam
You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn't head over heels for the RG Hi-Nu Gundam, and for good reason. This truly is one of the crowning jewels of Gunpla, with gorgeous detailing, spectacular engineering, and amazing shelf presence. While an extensive redesign of the Hi-Nu Gundam, in my opinion, it takes the best parts of all iterations and creates a truly stunning kit. I've wanted the Hi-Nu Gundam for ages, but never had the chance to get one until now. This was my graduation gift from my parents, and I could not be happier with something like this. That being said, if I was making a list of best kits of the year, this would be a LOT higher, but even on this subjective one, it had to make it.
8. HGWFM Gundam Aerial
G-Witch has been taking the online sphere by storm, making new anime fans care about the franchise and causing people to talk about Gundam on social media. With every new Gundam series comes a batch of new kits, and out of the new releases, the Gundam Aerial really stuck all the chords for me. Not only has it quickly become one of my favorite main Gundam designs, but the detail on this for a HG is amazing, with color separation, patterns, and matte finishes that make it look more like a painted figure than plastic model. For a HG sub-line, HGWFM as a whole has been really impressing me, a far cry from IBO, Build Fighters/Divers, and G-Reco HGs. This line has a lot of love and effort put into it, and the HGWFM Gundam Aerial is the best of what I've gotten my hands on so far. I cannot wait to get my hands on future releases like Gundam Pharact and Demi Barding to see if this gets topped next year!
7. HGUC Nightingale
I've built a few gigantic kits this year, including ACKS Gunbuster, Moderoid Dangaioh, and even HGUC Xi Gundam. However little this year has quite had the presence and power that the HGUC Nightingale has. This is not an intricate kit, however, its presentation is stunning regardless. With beautiful proportions that utterly destroy the RE/100's stubby wings and chubby body, and little details like the money and rifle. This thing is a true beast that utterly demands the presence of all eyes while hogging a third of my entire shelf. I own the MG Sazabi Ver. Ka, and I still think the HGUC Nightingale has become my favorite Char kit that I own so far.
6. HG Amplified IMGN Ryujinmaru
A complete surprise for me, I honestly did not expect to enjoy this kit as much as I did. I initially purchased it because I was interested in Bandai making experimental "real type" kits, but what we got was more like a budget HiRM. Ryujinmaru Amplified isn't just a non-SD wataru, but even comes in a myriad of special finishes from the fresh golden coating, the gem-like metallic red, and the smooth gloss white, this kit looks stunning out of the box, and for a surprisingly fair price for all of those features. It was advertised as just a 'normal proportioned wataru', but this is honestly so much more.
5. HGAG AGE-2 Dark Hound
2022 also happened to be the year I got back into watching Gundam thanks to Gundam AGE, which ultimately ended up being one of my favorite seasons after completing. I collected a large amount of HGAG this year, but the best one in my opinion, and the one to represent the entire line is the HGAG Dark Hound. The AGE-2 is one of the best HGAG kits with great articulation, parts separation, and even a solid transformation. The Dark Hound takes that excellent MS, and gives it the best loadout of all variants, exclusive gimmicks, and a sick black color scheme. HGAG in general is a top-tier HG line, but if you can only buy one HGAG kit for whatever reason, definitely buy this one.
4. RG God Gundam
Similar to the HGUC Zaku II Revive the RG God Gundam was several years' worth of hype and payoff as I'd always wanted a God Gundam but was never satisfied with the HG or MG kits. The RG God Gundam, with its modern engineering, is truly a top-tier kit in every sense, with perfect levels of detail, articulation, stability, and accessories to make this the definitive God for any fan. As someone who adores the God Gundam and waited years hoping this kit would be made, it absolutely did not disappoint. If you haven't tried this kit out yet, please do.
3. PGU RX-78-2 Gundam
This one absolutely had to make the list. The moment the PGU was unveiled with all of its gimmicks, construction, and detail, I knew I had to own it no matter what. Delving into PG for the first time, this truly is an ultimate experience of Gunpla which takes technologies from every grade and every era. It's not the perfect kit, as it's not hyper-articulate as God nor does it have a stand, but this really was an unforgettable kit experience that not only resulted in one of the proudest additions to my collection, but also a firm reminder of why Gunpla is truly special to me.
2. Moderoid Dynazenon
This was a kit that truly blew my mind. It's not nearly as detailed or as intricately engineered as the PGU, and it absolutely uses a lot of stickers, but Moderoid Dynazenon is more than just a mecha model kit. It's a kit of one of my favorite modern mecha, Dynazenon, which combines all four individual components just like they did in the show. Each component is fully functional and filled with gimmicks. While there is a tiny bit of partsforming in the combination, it leads to a perfectly proportioned robot that is quite articulate and surprisingly rock solid for combining transforming plastic model. This kit was a full-on playset in model form, exuding love and understanding for the Dynazenon Mecha. It showed the full capabilities of the Moderoid line to me, and is the reason I fell in love with their offerings.
1. HG Sirbine
It was a huge tossup between this and second place, but ultimately I couldn't deny my love for the HG Sirbine. Like the Moderoid Dynazenon, this kit was made by designers who cared about the Sirbine as a mecha and you could feel it. From the multiple eye options, the intricate inner detailing, the clever joints, and the fully molded-in cockpit, this HG is a definitive kit for the Sirbine, one of my favorite mecha designs of all time. Aura Battlers have had old HGs but they were not done justice whatsoever, and it's a shame we may never get updated releases. However, Sirbine managed to be an exception as a modern release, creating a truly beautiful plastic model that understands and represents why Aura Battlers are such cool mecha, and how even amongst them, the Sirbine is a true piece of art.
With that, we wrap up my favorite kits of 2022. Getting back into plastic models really helped color my year and I'm more than happy to keep building into 2023. Again, I'm not sure if I'll go back to reviewing, but perhaps I may do occasional casual posts like this one as I do enjoy writing. To all of those reading, thank you for doing so! I wish you all a happy new year, and let's make sure that we keep buying kits that bring us joy in 2023 as well!
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